Mica, officials meet to talk about road project funds

MICHAEL REEDStaff Writer

Published Saturday, January 25, 2003

Local officials are asking the federal government to help pay for transportation projects that will cost millions, and U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, believes some projects will get the funding they need.

Mica met with officials from St. Johns and Putnam Counties and the cities within at a transportation forum Friday in the St. Johns County Auditorium. They talked about building new roads and expanding others to cope with the rapidly-growing population of the area. Mica's district includes both counties.

Some projects will have a better chance if local governments pay for part, and some projects could be funded over a period of years, Mica said. Each project will need to be dissected and additional information will needed for legislators to evaluate, he said.

"I didn't see anything that we couldn't help on," Mica said.

St. Johns County's three priorities total almost $125 million. The projects include extending State Road 312 to State Road 16 to bypass U.S. 1, building an interchange for County Road 210 at U.S. 1, and building a north-south corridor that would connect to State Road 9B in Jacksonville.

The county selected the projects because they best fit the federal government's ability to help with funding, said Joe Stephenson, director of public works for the county. The transportation improvements would benefit the region and relieve traffic on Interstate 95, he said.

St. Augustine is asking for a parking and transit program for downtown that would cost $2 million, said City Commissioner Don Crichlow. The program would mainly be a shuttle system and related facilities.

Downtown reached the saturation point with traffic long ago, he said.

"We really need to solve this problem," Crichlow said. "It's a situation that sort of has a strangle hold on St. Augustine."

St. Augustine Beach Mayor Frank Charles said the city didn't have any requests that would apply to the transportation bills, but he supports the local requests because they affect beach residents.

The projects could be funded through the Fiscal Year 2004 Transportation Appropriations Act or the Transportation Efficiency Act, which has to be reauthorized every six years, Mica said. He expected Congress to pass the legislation by September.

The Transportation Efficiency Act will fund regional projects for the next six or seven years, according to Mica's office. To be considered, the projects need support from local governments and the Florida Department of Transportation.

"Projects must undergo a great deal of scrutiny and have merit," Mica said.